Applicator for connectors and the like



Sept. 7, 1954 Q. BERG APPLICATOR FUR CONNECTORS AND THE LIKE 1 l2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 29, 1950 HHHHHHHIHHIHHIHI ium...

' INVENTOR Q uenuz fie HHHHHI Sept. 7, 1954 B 2,688,133

APPLICATOR FOR CONNECTORS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 29, 1950 12 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Se t 7, 1954 BERG 2,68,133

v APPLICATOR FOR CONNECTORS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 29, 1950 12 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOFK' Queniz'm fier c ATTORN Sept. 7, 1954 Q. BERG R FOR CONNECTORS AND THE LIKE APPLICATO 12 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 29. 1950 INVENTOR Quen ion B e BY ATTOR Sept. 7, 1954 Q- BERG 2,688,133

APPLICATOR FOR CONNECTORS AND THE LIKE l2 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 29, 1950 INVENTOR ATT RN Sept. 7, 1954 Q. BERG fi fl APPLICATOR FUR CONNECTORS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 29, 1950 12 Sheets-Sheet 6 lNVENTOR @uemivin Ber B V W ATTQR (s Sept. 7, 1954 Q. BERG APPLICATOR. FOR CONNECTORS AND THE LIKE 12 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Dec. 29, 195C m. I R mfi M6 N R WM .5 N n I. m w A u Sept. 7, 1954- Q. BERG APPLICATOR FOR CONNECTORS AND THE LIKE l2 Sheets-$heet 8 Filed Dec. 29, 1950 Sept. 7, 1954 Q. BERG 2,688,133

' APPLICATOR FOR CONNECTORS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 29, 1950.

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12 Sheets-Sheet 9 T321: 16 268 y h! 2276 mvgxxrroa Quenizn Be ATTORN 5 Sept. 7, 1954 BERG APPLICATOR FOR CONNECTORS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 29, 1950 mu l l2 Sheets-Sheet l0 Quentin Ber ATTOR =6 Sept. 7, 1954 Q. BERG 2,688,133

APPLICATOR FOR CONNECTORS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 29, 1950 12 Sheets-Sheet 11 T12. E1. w 306 INVENTOR Quentin Ber ATTOR 5 Sept. 7, 1954 Q. BERG APPLICATOR FOR CONNECTORS AND THE LIKE l2 Sheets-Sheet 12 Filed Dec. 29, 1950 ammammQ/I TIE E5.

Patented Sept. 7, 1954 APPLICAT OR FOR CONNECTORS AND THE LIKE Quentin Berg, New Cumberland, Pa., assignor to Aircraft-Marine Products Inc., Harrisburg, Pa.

Application December 29, 1950, Serial No. 203,305

14 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for app1y ing connectors to the ends of wire leads and more particularly to a machine for automatically bringing a lead into position to have connectors applied thereto and then automatically effecting the application of the connectors to the two ends of the lead. Although the embodiment of the invention herein shown and described is designed for the application of plug-in connectors to wire leads, particularly plug-in connectors of the smaller or pin type sizes, it will be understood that the invention is equally adaptable to machines for applying other types of connectors.

In my copending application Serial No. 151,7 95, filed March 24, 1950, I have shown a machine for feeding connectors of the plug-in type successively into position to receive the end of a lead upon which the connector is to be crimped, this lead end being manually placed in position for the crimping operation and the connectors being provided in the form of strips having the pin end of one connector connected to the ferrule end of the next. The machine of my copending application, which requires the manual placing of the insulated lead wire in position to have the ferrule end of the connector crimped thereupon, operates on one end only of the wire lead at a time. The present invention aims to provide a machine in which not only is the lead wire brought automatically into position to have the connectors crimped thereupon but in which connector feeding means and connector crimping means are so arranged that a connector is automatically crimped upon each end of the lead, these crimping operations preferably taking place simultaneusly.

Since wire leads for effecting electrical connections between various parts of electrically operated machinery are necessarily of a wide variety of lengths, it is important that a machine which is to apply connectors simultaneously to both ends of a wire lead be readily adaptable to use with leads of various lengths. An important object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a connector applying machine for simultaneously applying connectors to the two ends of wire leads which is readily adjustable to adapt it for use with leads of a considerable range of lengths.

Wire leads are usually made of comparatively flexible insulated wire and, therefore, the positioning of the ends of the lead wire for the reception of the connectors requires the guiding of the wire near such connector receiving ends. An

important feature of the invention is the novel- 2 means for thus holding the wire for the connector-applying operation and the novel provision for adjustment of such means to adapt them for leads of various lengths.

Another important feature of the invention is the provision of a carrier into which wire-feeding means may feed a lead of substantially the desired length from a coil of lead wire, cutting means being so arranged in respect to the carrier that the required length of lead wire will be provided with connector-receiving ends projecting substantially equally from the two sides of the carrier into position to receive the connectors.

Still another important feature of the invention is the provision of wire-guiding means between pairs of wire grippers or clamps on the lead carrier, which means operate only during the wire feeding operation and open to permit travel of the lead with the carrier when the lead has been cut to the desired length.

In the connector-applying machine of the pres ent invention which receives a suitable lead length of wire in a carrier in one position of the carrier and then effects a movement of the carrier to bring the lead length into the connector-applying position, it is important that the wire end be brought over the open side of the connector ferrule and moved into this ferrule before the ferrule is crimped in order to be sure that the ferrule is crimped upon the wire. Important features of the invention therefore are the means employed, in a machine in which the lead wire is brought into connector-applying position by a carrier movement transverse to the feeding movement of the connector, for preventing interference between the connector and the lead wire during this movement of the carrier and for insuring the centering of the lead wire end over the open side of the ferrule before the crimping operation.

Other important features, objects and advantages of the present invention, to which reference has not specifically been made hereinabove, will appear hereinafter when the following description and claims are considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a front elevation of a connector applying machine embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged plan view of the right hand part of the applicator mechanism of the machine, showing particularly the driving connections, the wire feeding mechanism, etc.;

Figure 3 is an enlarged plan view of the left hand part of the applicator mechanism of the 3 machine, this view and Figure 2 being so scaled that the two views may be placed side by side to form an assembly plan view of the principal functional parts of the machine;

Figure 4 is a rear view of the applicator mechanism of the machine;

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1

Figure 6 is a section on the line 13-8 of Fig. 5

Figure? i a section on the line i''! of Fig. 1

Figure 8 is a section on the line 88 of Fig. Figure 9 is a section on the line 9-4 of Fig.

Figure 10 is a section on the line l0|t 0 Fig. 1;

Figure 11 is a section on the line ll-Il of Fig. 5;

Figure 12 is a section on the line l2l2 of Fig.4;

Figure 13 is a section on the line |3l3 of Fig.4;

Figure 14 is a section. on the line l l|4 of Fig.2;

Figure-15 is a section on the line l5|5 of Fig.4;

Figure 16 is a section on the line 16-16 of Fig.4;

Figure 17 i a section on the line ll ll of Fig.4;

Figure 18 is a section on the line I8I8 of Fig. 15;

Figure 19 is a section on the line |9|9 of Fig. 15;

Figure 20 is a section on the line 2ll2ll of Fig. 19;

Figure 21 is a section through the preferred connector crimping and severing mechanism showing the parts in their open position;

Figure 22 is a section similar to Fig. 21 but showing the parts at the end of the connector, crimping, severing and wiping operations;

Figure 23 is a section on the line 23--23 of Fig. 22;

Figure 24 is an exploded view showing in perspective the upper elements of the preferred connector crimping and severing mechanism;

Figure 25 is a similar exploded view showing in perspective the lower or stationary elements of the connector crimping and severing mechanism; and

Figure 26 shows a modification of the wire gripper or clamp construction to provide for mechanical opening thereof at the point of discharge of the completed leads.

In the illustrative embodiment of the invention the mechanism for driving the various elements of the machine from connections to a motor 2 and a reduction gearing 4, the output shaft of which is provided with a driving sprocket 6, is mounted upon a base member 8 which is preferably locked in a fixed position on a lathetype bed 9 so that the sprocket wheel It, mounted to turn freely on the main shaft l2 of the machine, will be maintained in alignment with the sprocket wheel 6 and can be driven therefrom by a sprocket chain I4.

The shaft [2 has three main bearings, two of which are fixed and the third of which is adjustable along the bed 9 together with the operating element of the applicator mechanism associated therewith. One of the fixed bearings is in a crossbar I6 fixed to vertical posts l8 and 26 (Figs. 1, 2, 4, 15) attached to the base 8, these posts being preferably cylindrical and serving as guides for a movable crossbar or ram 22 supported on prings 24 and 26 surroundingthe posts 13 and 20. The springs 24 and 26 are tensioned to holder 4 cam follower 28 carried by the movable ram 22 against a cam 30 keyed to the main shaft l2. Depending sleeves 21 attached to the ram 22 serve to hold the springs 24 and 26, which are of considerably larger diameter than the posts I8 and 20, in concentric relation to said posts.

The other fixed bearing for the shaft I2 is in an upright 32 afiixed to a base 34-clamped in its normally fixed position on the lathe-like bed 9 by a c-clamp 36 shown in Fig. 9. Similar C clamps secure in position on the bed 9 both the other base member 8 carrying the other fixed bearing and the base member 38 carrying the adjustable bearing hereinafter to be described. The shaft [2 is preferably of considerable length to permit the movement of the base member 38 and the mechanism carried thereby on the lathe-like bed 9 over a considerable range to provide for operation on a considerable range of lengths of leads.

As above stated, the sprocket wheel I0 is mounted on the shaft l2 to turn freely thereon but has a driving connection thereto through an overload release connection now to be described. The part of the shaft l2 upon which the sprocket wheel ii] is mounted is preferably of somewhat reduced diameter. Also mounted upon this reduced part of the shaft but fixed thereto is a crank arm 40 (Figs. 1, 2 and 5) which is provided with a spring-pressed detent (Fig. 11) in the form of a plunger 42 having a conical end 44 pressed by the spring 46 into a hardened conical seat 43 in the sprocket wheel H). The spring 46 and plunger 42 are carried in a socket member 50 screwed into an opening 52 tapped into the arm 40. A stem 54 on the plunger 42 extends through the bottom of the socket 55 in the socket member 50 and a lock nut 58 threaded upon the outside of the socket member 50 serves to lock the socket in different spring tensioning adjustments in the arm 40 whereby the resistance to turning required to release the safety mechanism can readily be adjusted.

Referring to the various mechanisms operated directly or indirectly from the main driving shaft i2, there is provided a carrier for the lead wires to be provided with connectors which is preferably in the form of two octagonally shaped rotary members 60 and 62 mounted to turn freely on the shaft 12 but connected by spacer rods 64 which, as herein shown, have reduced threaded ends tapped into the right hand rotary member 60 and reduced unthreaded ends extending through openings in the left hand rotary member 62 and secured in said left hand member by headed machine screws 66 tapped into the ends of the rods 64. The length of the rods 64 is chosen for the particular length of lead to be operated upon. If a shorter lead is to be operated upon by the machine, shorter rods 64 are substituted for those shown and correspondingly if a longer lead is to be operated upon longer rods are used, the, base 33 being unclamped from the lathe bed 9 and moved along the shaft I 2 to adapt the apparatus for the different lengths of rods 64 and the operation upon leads of different lengths.

As above stated, the rotary members 60 and-62v are octagonal in shape and are so connected that the flat edges of the two members are parallel. Mounted upon each of these opposed parallel fiat edges is a wire g ipper 0r clamp comprising a base 68 having thereon two uprights 10 and 12, these and the other parts of the clamp being shown in considerable detail in Fig. 7 of thedrawings which also shows the right hand octagonal rotary member 60 in side elevation.

The upright I0 has an offset portion 14 constituting one-half. of the wire clamp and provided with a semi-cylindrical wire guide. Cooperating with this stationary clamp member is a pivoted clamp member I6 also provided with a semicircular groove constituting the other half of the wire guide IS. The movable clamp member 16 is held yieldingly against the offset I4 by a spring 80, strong enough to hold the lead in position for movement between the feeding and connector applying positions of the carrier but preferably guide the wire which is fed by the wire feeding means into the wire guide I8 between the clamp members I4 and I6; see Fig. 14 of the drawings.

The carrier, made up of the members 60, 82 and the connecting rods 64, is indexed in a step-bystep manner about the shaft I2 to bring the wire clamps first into wire-receiving position and then into connector applying position and then into lead discharge position. As herein shown (Fig. '7) this indexing is effected by a Geneva stop mechanism which provides for a rest in each position and which comprises a rotary disc 84 mounted on a short shaft 86 and having an arm 81 carrying a pin 88 adapted to enter successively slots 90 in a disc 92 attached to the right hand octagonal rotary member 60 of the carrier. There are eight of the slots 90, one corresponding to each clamp-carrying side of the octagonal carrier, so that each rotation of the shaft 86 causes the pin 88 to engage a slot 90 and turn the carrier one-eighth of a rotation about the axis of the shaft I2.

As shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the shaft 86 has the disc 84 mounted on one end thereof and secured thereon by a set screw 94 in the hub of the disc 84. Th shaft 86 has its hearings in bosses 96 on the two sides of the stationary cross piece I6 and at its other end carries the intermediate gear 98 of three gears 98, I00, I02 of equal diameter so that each gear makes one complete rotation for each rotation of the main shaft I2, the gear I00 being fixed upon the main shaft I2 to turn therewith. It will be seen, therefore, that the carrier for the lead wires is indexed oneeighth of a rotation for each rotation of the shaft I2.

The wire is fed into the carrier from the right hand side and wire-feeding mechanism is provided having a considerable range of adjustment to adapt it for feeding a considerable range of lengths of leads into the applicator mechanism. The illustrated wire feeding mechanism (Figs. 2, 4 and 14) comprises a lower feeding wheel I04 and an upper idler or presser wheel I06 on an eccentrically mounted ball bearing I0'I permitting the idler wheel I06 to be rocked by an arm I08, to which a spring I I0 is attached toward the feeding wheel I04 and thus into gripping relation with the wire H2. The wire feeding wheel I04 is attached to a shaft II4 mounted in a bracket H6. The shaft II4 carries at its outer end a bevel gear IIB meshing with a bevel gear I20 on another short shaft I22 between which and a rack gear I24 there is an over-running clutch I 26 which may be, for example, of the type shown in Fig. 13. This clutch is arranged to cause the rack gear I24 to turn the shaft I22 on the forward movement of the rack bar I28 and to permit the rack gear I24 to rotate idly 0n the return movement of the rack bar I28.

The rack bar I28 has an adjustable connection to a crank arm I30 (Figs. 2 and 5) on the outer end of a shaft I32 to which the gear I02 is connected. It will be seen that the shaft I32 has a long bearing in bosses I34 and I36 connected to the side faces of the crossbar I6 and that the shaft is secured in its bearings by a collar I38 secured to the shaft by a set screw I40. The crank arm I30 has two lugs I42 and I44 in which a lead screw I46 has its bearings, this lead screw being threaded through a block I48 sliding in a guideway I49 on the arm I30 (see Fig. 6) and having thereon a crank pin I50 on which the end of the rack bar I28 remote from the rack gear I24 is pivotally mounted, being secured upon the shouldered pin I50 by a washer I52 and cotter pin I53 (Fig. 6). A knob I54 on the lead screw I46 may be used to turn it to effect an adjustment of the length of the crank arm effecting the reciprocating movement of the rack bar I28, thus effecting an adjustment in the length of lead wire fed at one stroke.

As above stated, the gear I02 is of the same diameter as the gear 98 and also the gear I00 so that the crank arm I30 makes a complete rotation for each rotation of the main shaft I2 and thus effects a complete reciprocation of the rack bar I28.

Referring to Figure 4, the wire II2 to be fed to form a lead is guided into the feeding mechanism, comprising the lower and upper wheels I04 and I06, through a tube I56 having a bell mouth to facilitate inserting the wire thereinto. From the feeding wheels the Wire passes into a second bell-mouthed tube I58 which guides it into a guide block I60 attached to the rear end of the crossbar I6. A small block of hardened material, such as Carboloy, I62 is inserted in the block I60 at the outlet end of the wire guide therein to provide a cutting edge which coopcrates with a knife I64 operated by a solenoid I66, as hereinafter more fully described. The knife I64 is carried on a slide I68 having a rod I10 extending from its lower end and guided in an opening in a bracket I'I2, a spring I'I4 tending normally to maintain the slide I68 and knife I64 in their uppermost positions. The solenoid core I16 bears on the upper end of the slide I68 and is so located in the solenoid coil that when the solenoid is energized it operates to push the knife I64 down against the action of the spring I14 and cause the wire projecting through the hardened block I62 to be sheared off against the edge of the opening in said block.

The setting of the rack I28 on the crank arm I30 should be such that a length of wire at least long enough to project across the carrier and, when out, leave a projecting end, on each side of the carrier, sufilcient to receive a connector or ferrule. Preferably the wire is slightly overfed and solenoid operating cutting means provided for cutting off each end to the desired length of projection. To this end. the wire, after passing through the clamp on the octagonal clamp carrier remote from the one into which itfirst enters is introduced into an opening I18 in a block I80. Over the edge of the opening I'I8 a knife I82 is operated by a solenoid I84 to trim off the excess wire projection brought about by theoverfeeding, the wire-cutter construction being .substantially the same as that described in connection with the cutting mechanism shown at. the left hand side of the rear view of the machine in Fig. 4 which serves to cut the wire from the supply.

Since the wire employed in leads, usually insulated copper wire, is comparatively soft and flexible, guiding means are employed to guide the wire between the two clamps from the outer sides of which it projects to receive the connectors. This guiding means is so constructed that it operates only temporarily and thus does .not interfere with. the movement of the carrier between the wire lead receiving position and the connetor applying position. As shown particularly in Figs. 3 and 4, the wire guide, which serves to guide the wire as it is fed across thecarrier from one clamp to the opposite cooperating clamp, is mounted on a plate or arm I86 attached to the rear face of the crossbar I88 in which is located the adjustable bearing for the main shaft I2. This crossbar I88 is fixed on vertical rods I99 and I92 extending up from the base 33, the rods I90 and I92 being similar to the rods I8 and hereinabove described and having mounted thereon a movable crossbar or ram I94 similar to the movable ram 22 hereinabove described. The ram I94 is provided with depending sleeves I96 for holding springs I98 concentric with the rods I96 and 192, these sleeves being similar to the sleeves 21 hereinabove described.

As is seen in Figs. 3, 4 and 16, the plate or bar I86 has bracket arms 289 and 202 which extend toward the shaft I2 from the plate I86 and carry a pivot shaft 204 on which swings one member 206 of a wire guide extending across the carrier substantially from one octagonal side member to the other. It will be noted that the movable member 206 of the wire guide is suspended .on short arms from the pivot shaft 294 and that one of these arms projects above the pivot shaft 284 sufficiently to provide a lever arm which has connected thereto a rod or link 208 guided through an opening in an upright 2) attached to the rear of the plate I86. A spring 2I2 surrounding the rod 268 bears against the lever arm 281 and, tends to hold the movable member of the wire guide in its closed relation to the stationary member 2 I4.

It will be seen (Fig. 16) that the wire guide is provided with a guide opening .2I6, one-half of which is in the movable member 206 and the other half of which is in the stationary member H4 and that at the end of the wire guide into which the wire is first introduced there is a funnel-shaped mouth 2I8 for guiding the wire into the guide opening proper 2I6.

When the wire has been fully fed and the carrier is ready to carry the prepared lead into position to receive the connectors, the wire guide is opened automatically, the illustrative means comprising a solenoid 220 having its movable core 222 connected to the movable guide member 296, as shown, so that when the solenoid 229 is energized the core 222 will push the movable member 206 away from thestationary guide member 2M and thus open the wire guide to permit the wire to be carried along with the carrier to the connector receiving position.

As the carrier is indexed by the Geneva stop movement, hereinabove described, to bring wire clamps from their lead wire receiving position to the position in which the connectors are applied to the projecting ends of the lead wire, a connector is fed into position on each side of the carrier to be crimped on the projecting end of the lead wire. The illustrative means for feeding the connectors into position to receive the wire ends comprise a guideway or runway for a strip of connectors .having open-sided insulation piercing ferrules and pin ends, the pin of one connector being connected to the ferrule of the next connector by a short strip which is cut out at the time the connector is severed from the strip of connectors. The feeding mechanism is illustrated in detail in Fig. 19 and the guideway for the connectors is shown as formed on the upper face of a block or bracket 224 which may besecured to the base 8. The guideway may .be formed as shown by strips or plates 226 fastened in spaced relation .upon the upper face of the bracket 224. A feed pawl 228, shaped to engage the connectors behind their upturned uncrimped ferrule sides, is pivotally connected at 230 to the long arm 232 of a bellcrank lever fulcrumed at 234 between ears 238 projecting from the side of the fixed crossbar I6 (Fig. 17) the short arm 238 of the bellcrank carrying a roller 240 engaged by a cam 242 on the main shaft I2 of the machine.

The action of the cam 242 effects a positive rocking of the bellcrank lever, on which the feed pawl 228 is pivoted, in a direction away from the feeding direction. The movement of the bellcrank in the feeding direction, which insures that the roller 240 will follow the cam so far as possible, is brought about by a rod 244 also preferably pivotally connected to the bellcrank lever at one end and guided through an opening in a bracket 245 at its other end (Fig. 1). A spring 248, confined between a collar 258 fixed upon the rod and the bracket 246, urges the bellcrank arm 232 toward the forward limit of its feeding movement. The forward limit of the feeding movement of the bellcrank 232 and accordingly of the pawl 228 is adjustably limited by a stop screw 252 threaded through the lower end of the bellcrank arm 232 and engaging the fixed stop 254 on the block or bracket 224.

It will be seen that by adjusting the stop screw 252 in the arm 232 difierent effective feeding strokes of the pawl 228 may be obtained. There is a strip feeding mechanism of the character just described on each side of the carrier and the corresponding reference numerals will be used to apply to each of these mechanisms so far as is possible.

As above stated, a connector is fed into position .to receive the projecting end of the lead wire in its open-sided ferrule when the carrier is indexed to bring a set of wire clamps from their wire-receiving position to their connector-applying position and, as the wire comes into position over the open-sided ferrule, the cam 30 on the main shaft I2 acts on the cam follower 28 on the ram 22 to drive it downward and effect the crimping of the ferrule upon the wire and the severing of the connector from the strip of connectors, the latter operation being followed by a wiping of any burr left upon the end of the pin into the rounded end of the pin. The crimping, cutting and wiping operations are performed simultaneously upon the two sides of the carrier, the shaft I2 having a cam 256 similar to the cam 39 whichoperates to depress the other ram I94 carrying the upper parts of similar cutting, crimping and wiping mechanisms. So far as is possible like reference numerals will be applied to the cutting, crimping and wiping parts on the two sides of the machine.

It should here be pointed out that, to insure the presentation of the connectors to the crimping mechanism in upright condition and at the same time to prevent the connector strip from being moved backward on the non-feeding stroke of the pawl 228, a spring plate 258, anchored by screws 260 upon the block or bracket 224, projects over the guideway for the connector strip and presses upon the upper edges of the ferrule sides to maintain them in horizontal parallelism and at the same time to furnish friction to prevent backward movement on the non-feeding stroke of the pawl 228. To facilitate movement of the connector strip into the guideway the spring plate 258 is provided with an upturned lip 282 at the intake end of the connector guideway. It will also be noted that the guideway defining plates 226 are rounded off, as shown at 284, at the guideway entrance.

As the Geneva stop mechanism is operated to index the carrier, moving lead wire clamps between their wire receiving position and their connector applying position, the connectors, as above stated, are fed into position to receive the projecting ends of the wire leads preparatory to being crimped thereupon. To prevent interference between these projecting lead ends and the connectors as they are brought into operative relation to each other, the lead ends are preferably lifted slightly so that they may pass over the open side edges of the connectors as they are moved into position over these open sides. To this end a wire locater 266 is provided which normally projects into the path of travel of the projecting end of the lead, there being one of these locaters on each side of the lead carrier.

The locater 268 comprises a vertical slide tapered off at its upper end as shown, see Figs. 15, 19 and 22. The slide 266 is confined in a guideway in a block 268 which may be attached to the base block 8 of the machine, or to the corresponding base block 38 for the adjustable shaft bearing. A pin 210, fixed in the slide 266 and movable in a vertical slot in the block 288, has attached thereto a spring 212 attached at its upper end to a pin 214 fixed in the block 268. The spring 212 is so tensioned that it tends to keep the slide or locater 266 normally in its uppermost position. A solenoid-operated cam slide 216, see Fig. 15, operating in a guideway in the block 288, has an inclined cam end 218 engaging'a cam shoulder 288 on the vertical locater slide 286. The cam slide 218 has fixed therein a pin 288 projecting through a slot 282 in the block 258. A spring 284 connected at one end to the pin 288 and at its other end to a pin 228 fixed in the block 268 tends to hold the slide 216 inoperative with the pin at the left hand end of the slot in Fig. 15.

The movable core 288 of the solenoid 288 operates, when the solenoid 298 is energized, to push the slide 276 to the right in Fig. 15, thus causing a depression of the locater slide 265 against the tension of the spring 212. The spring 272 acts to restore the locater slide 288 to its uppermost position as soon as the solenoid 298 is deenergized. The timing of the operation of the energization of the solenoid 288 is such that the locater slide 285 is temporarily depressed as the end of the lead wire is about to be moved into position over the open side of the ferrule of the connector to be crimped thereon and is deenergized in time to cause the locater, after the 10 wire end has come over the upper end thereof, to move upward under the action of the spring 212 and lift the wire lead end above the uncrimped edge of the connector so that it can move freely into position directly above the open side of the connector. The lifting of the lead end also prevents any interference with the feeding of the connector into position on the anvil or male die 292.

When the wire lead end on each side of the carrier has thus been brought into centered relation over the open side of the connector ferrule, the crimping mechanism then operates to crimp the connectors upon the two lead ends. It will be seen that at this time the ferrule to be crimped is resting upon the slightly hollowed-out upper end of the male crimping die 292 and that the wire lead end is tilted slightly above the open side of the connector ferrule, but practically centered thereover. To insure positive centering and at the same time to insure that the lead end shall be lying within the ferrule when it is crimped, a centering device 294, having therein a tapered centering slot 286, preferably having a rounded bottom to fit snugly over the wire, is attached to the outer face of the female crimping die 288. The centering slot 298 in the centering device 294 has its rounded bottom slightly below the bottom of the crimping slot 388 in the female crimping die 298 to provide for the thickness of the ferrule itself and at the same time to insure that the engagement of the centering device with the projecting wire end will be such as to insure its proper location within the ferrule and the proper crimping of the ferrule thereupon.

Describing particularly the crimping, connector severing and wiping mechanism upon the right hand side of the machine, as viewed in Fig. l, the crimping, connector severing and wiping mechanisms upon the two sides of the machine being substantially identical, the parts of this mechanism, as shown particularly in Figs. 15 and 21 to 25, inclusive, comprise the upper female crimping die 298, the lower anvil or male crimping die 292, the tunker plate 382, the spacer plate 884, the shear 388 and the shear plates 308 and 3H3. The centering device 294, the female crimping die 298, the tunker 382 and the shear 386 are connected to the crossbar or ram 22 to move therewith under the action of the cam 38 on the main shaft l2, the return movement being effected by the springs 24 and 26. The male crimping die or anvil 292, the spacer 304 and the shear plates 388 and 3H] are connected to the base 8.

As shown more particularly in Figs. 21 and 22, the shear 386, which has therein a slot 3 I2 which straddles the connecting neck strip 8H! on the strip of connectors, slides in a groove 3H3 in the rear face of the shear plate 888, as viewed in Fig. 25, and acts to shear out this connection 314 be tween the end of thepin part 8! 8 of one connector and the end of the ferrule part 320 of the next connector. The other shear plate 3H3 is provided with a tapered recess 322 to provide discharge clearance for the sheared-out connecting strips 3M. To avoid accumulation of these out out strips in the machine, the machine may also be provided with a blow nozzle, adjacent to the discharge point, for blowing these particles away from the cutting and crimping mechanism. This nozzle may be provided with air from any suitable source of supply of compressed air controlled by a valve 325' (see Fig. 10) having a stem 328, the valve being normally pressed into seated position and being opened, at the time the connecting piece 3 is dropped into the recess 322, by means of a cam 330 on the main shaft l2 engaging a cam roller 332 on a cam lever 334 pressing against the valve stem 328.

As above suggested, the strip of connectors, which is fed into position to bring the ferrule end of the endmost connector into crimping position upon the anvil 292, is shown in the embodiment illustrated as a succession of pin type connectors connected pin to ferrule by the connecting strips 3M and the feeding is done by the pawl 228 of the connector strip feeding mechanism hereinabove described and shown particularly in Figs. 19 and 20, this pawl being maintained yieldingly in contact with the connector strip by a spring 336, connected at one end to a pin 338 on the bellcrank lever arm 232 and connected at its other end to a pin 340 extending from the end of the pawl 228 which lies beyond its pivotal connection 230 with the bellcrank lever arm 232.

When the shear 305 operates, upon the depression of the cross arm or ram 22 by the cam 30, to shear out the connecting strip 3l4, this shearing, being effected on a straight edge, will leave a slight burr on what should be the smooth rounded tip of the pin part 318 of the connector. To avoid any such excrescence on the pin tip, a wiping groove 342 is provided in the front face of the shear plate 308 into which the end of the pin 3! is forced by the tunker 302, as shown particularly in Fig. 22, to cause the wiping of these excrescences into the rounded end of the pin 3|8, thus insuring a smooth rounded end of the lead connector when it has been crimped upon the end of the lead wire. As shown in Figs. 21 and 22, the top of the spacer 304 is sufiiciently below the top of the anvil 292, and also below the upper edge of the shear plate 308, to provide for this wiping movement of the end of the pin 3-!8 after the shearing action and without bending of the pin 3 [8 in respect to the ferrule 32!].

At the same time that the shearing of the connecting strip 3l4 between the connector which is being crimped upon the end of the lead wire and the next connector in the strip of connectors takes place, it will be seen that the centering device 294 has come down with the female die 258, to the face of which it is connected, and has centered the end of the lead wire in the open ferrule 320 in advance of the crimping action which takes place immediately thereafter (see Figs. 21 and 22). This crimping action causes the insulation piercing points 344 which are struck up on the inner faces of the ferrules 320 to pierce the insulation 346 on the wire and effect an electrical contact with the conductor 348, see Fig. 23.

The locater 266', which is constantly urged toward its uppermost position by the spring 212 and has been lowered just prior-to the bringing of the end of the lead wire over the ferrule 32!) and then allowed to rise again as the wire comes into this position, will be forced downward against the action of the spring 212 as the centering device 294 presses the wire end into the ferrule 320 in position to have the ferrule crimped' thereupon, see Fig. 22.

As the shaft I2 continues to rotate the cam 33 will permit the crossbar or ram 22 to rise again under th action of the springs 24 and 26, thus raising the centering device 294, the female crimping die 298, the tunker 332 and the shear 306, thereby leaving. the now completed lead free to be indexed toward the lead discharge position. In the form of the invention shown in- Figs. 1 to 25 inclusive the completed leads are stripped from the carrier clamps as they are brought by the carrier into lead. discharge position, no other means being provided for effecting the opening of the clamps. This stripping mechanism may comprise outer and inner spring fingers 350 and H2 connected to a crossbar 354, the outer spring fingers 352 being shorter than the inner fingers 352 to avoid their i terfering with the crimping and cutting mechanism.

From an inspection of Fig. '7 it will be seen that, as the carrier is indexed from the crimping position to carry the lowermost clamps toward the front of the machine, the fingers 350 and 352 will engage the lead wire on the two sides of the clamp, this engagement being with that side of the lead wire which is nearest the octagonal rotary member, and that, as the clamp comes into the position shown at the left in Fig. '7, the fingers will force the lead wire to open the clamp as there shown and thus strip the Wire from the clamp and carrier. There are spring fingers 350 and 352 for each side of the clamp carrier so that the lead wire is simultaneously stripped from the two clamps which are holding the lead wire that is being operated upon.

Where a lead wire is of sufiicient weight to drop from an open clamp of itself the modified means for effecting the removal of the completed lead wire from the clamps, which means are shown in Fig. 26, may be used. In this form of the invention the movable jaw 16 of the wire clamp has attached thereto a leaf spring arm 356 which, when it engages a stationary cam 358 during rotation of the carrier, acts to open the clamp against the spring 80, thus permitting the completed lead to drop outof the clamp. There is, of course, a spring arm 355 for each of the pair of clamps holding a single lead.

In Figure 9, which shows the end of the shaft 2 at the left of the stationary bearing support 32, Figure 9 being a section on the line 9-9 of Figure 1, the cam for operating certain of the solenoid switches is shown. This cam 36!], which is keyed. to the shaft l2, in its rotation with the shaft 12 in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 9, engages first the cam roller 362 on the switch operating arm 364 that controls the sw' ch 366 closing the circuit through the cutter operating solenoids I66 and I84 and the wire guide gate-opening solenoid 220. As the cam 3B0 continues torotate it engages the cam roll 338 onthe switch arm 310 that controls the switch 312 for energizing the solenoid 290 which effects the depression of the locater 266.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that novel but simple and effective means have been provided for making leads having connectors of any desired type crimped upon the ends thereof and that the machine is adapted for producing such completed leads in a wide range of lengths. In adapting the machine for use inthe production of leads of different lengths it will be seen that the major part of the adaptation is effected merely by adjusting the base 38, together with the parts mounted thereon, along the lathe bed 9 to space the wire clamps on the octagonal rotary members 60 and 62 the desired distance apart to hold, for the connector applying operation, alead of the desired length. Certain substitutions of connecting parts have to be made, however. First, the spacer rods 64 hav to be replaced by rods suitable to the new spacing of the rotary members 60 and 62; secondly, the guide which guides the lead Wire, as it is being fed between the clamp on the right hand rotary member 68 and the corresponding clamp on the the new adjustment can be provided for by the simple means for adjusting the wire feed hereinabove described and which includes the lead screw M6 in the crank arm I30 by which the amount of throw of the rack bar I28 may be varied.

In wire feeding mechanism of the type employed with this machine, which has a considerable length of feed movement that must take place in not more than a half rotation of the main shaft i2, difiiculty is sometimes experienced in overcoming the inertia of the connections back to the wire coil, with the result that considerable load is placed upon the gripping parts of the wire feed, that is, upon the feeding wheel H14 and the presser Wheel I06. To insure more gradual action of the feed it is sometime desirable to place between the feeding roll [M and the wire reel or coil from which the lead wire is supplied means for effectin a gradual transfer of the pull from the feeding mechanism to the coil. This may be don by simply causing the wire to be looped about a pulley having a spring connection to its support such that a sudden pull on the wire first stretches the spring and thus provides the needed slack in the wire for the feed, the spring gradually transferring the pull to the coil after the feeding has been effected.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A machine for cutting lengths of wire and applying electrical connectors to the ends thereof which comprises, a frame portion, means constituting a supply of wire, a pair of spaced connector applying mechanisms mounted in a first operating zone on said frame, means for feeding connectors to said connector applying mechanisms, a wire feeding and cutting mechanism mounted in a second operating zone on said frame, said wire feeding and cutting mechanism being adapted to cut off lengths of wire substantially equal to the distance between said spaced connector applying mechanisms, and movable wire carrier means for engaging said lengths of wire in said second operating zone and positioning them one at a time in said first operating zone, so that each end is placed within one of said connector applying mechanisms whereby connectors are applied to both ends of the lengths of wire upon actuation of said mechanisms.

2. A machine according to claim 1 in which the carrier means is provided with clamps so spaced that each grips the wire adjacent to the end thereof but leaving a projecting portion for insertion in the connectors.

3. A machine according to claim 1 in which the means for feeding the connector into crimping position and the means for effecting the crimping thereof on one end of the lead are mounted for adjustment bodily toward and away from the connector feeding means and the crimping means for the other lead end, and in which the means for feeding the lead wire into the carrier is adjustable to feed different lengths, whereby the machine may be adapted to apply connectors to leads of various lengths.

4. A machine according to claim 3 in which clamping means for gripping the wire lead near the projecting ends thereof are mounted on the carrier and in which provision is made for adjusting these clamps to different spacings to adapt them for gripping leads of different lengths adjacent to the connector receiving ends thereof.

5. A machine according to claim 1 in which the lead wire feeding means is set to overfeed slightly and cutting means are arranged to operate upon both sides of the carrier to insure projecting ends of the desired extents.

6. A machine according to claim 1 in which the carrier comprises axially spaced rotary members having peripherally mounted spring clamps with aligned wire receiving openings, said carrier being movable about its axis between wire receiving and connector applying positions and a wire guide being arranged to guide the fed-in lead Wire between the aligned clamp openings in the wire receiving position, means being also provided for opening said guide to release the wire for movement with the carrier into connector applying position.

7. A machine for cutting lengths of wire and applying connectors to the ends thereof which comprises, a pair of spaced connector applying mechanisms, a supply of connectors adapted to be fed thereto, a wire feeding and cutting mechanism for cutting from a substantially endless supply lengths of Wire greater in length than the spaced distance of said connector applying mechanisms, a wire carrier mechanism having a pair of wire engaging members spaced apart a distance less than said connector applying mechanisms, and adapted to engage said lengths of wire adjacent each end thereof to accurately position said ends in a connector fed to said connector applying mechanisms, means for crimping said connectors about said inserted wire ends, and means for discharging said wire and connector assemblies from said wire carrier.

8.'A machine according to claim 7 provided with means operating to lift the connector receiving end of the wire above said connectors as said wire moves into connector applying position and means operable during the crimping operation for centering said wire end over the connector ferrule and of moving it into said ferrule prior to the crimping of the ferrule.

9. A machine according to claim 1 in which means are provided for lifting the projecting ends of the lead above the ferrules as the carrier brings said ends into connector applying position.

10. A machine according to claim 1 in which the carrier is provided with spring clamps so spaced that each grips the lead adjacent to the projecting end thereof, said clamps having aligned wire receiving openings and means located in the lead receiving position of the carrier for guiding the wire as it is fed between the said clamps, said means having provision for opening to release the wire for movement with the carrier after it has been fed into position in said clamps.

11. A machine according to claim 10 in which means are provided for automatically opening the wire guide preparatory to the movement of the carrier to carry the lead from lead-receiving position into connector applying position.

12. A machine according to claim 10 in which that end of the wire receiving opening in each wire clamp into which the feed wire first enters is provided with a tapered wire directing enlarge- 15 ment to'facilitate the direction of the wire in the wire-receiving opening.

13. A machine according to claim 1 in which the carrier is provided with spring clamps comprising relatively movable spring jaws, said clamps being so spaced that each grips the lead adjacent to the projecting end thereof, and stripping fingers being arranged to engage each lead upon each side of each clamp, after the connectors have been applied, in order to force the leads out of the clamps.

14; A machine according to claim 1 in which the carrier comprises axially spaced, rotary, like polygonal members having parallel sides and having wire clamps upon their polygonal sides, the

axial spacing of said members being adjustable to suit the device to leads ofvarious lengths.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,706,005 Thompson Mar. 19, 1929 1,850,126 Bruckner Mar. 22, 1932 2,034,560 Bumstead 1- Mar. 17, 1936 2,137,181 Quackenbush Nov. 15, 1938 2,268,659 Hubbard Jan. 6, 1942 2,340,448 Andren Feb. 1, 1944 2,376,335 Braendel May 22, 1945 2,545,756 Andren Mar. 20, 1951 

